Name (Age): Amanda Blackledge (25)Hometown: Redwood City, Calif. but currently residing in Pismo Beach, Calif.Connection to your Teammate: FianceCurrent Occupation: College Admissions at a private college in Pismo Beach, Laurus CollegePrevious Season/Result: Season 14/8th place

Biggest mistake you made in your previous season: We were naive and trusted too many other teams. We forgot that we were racing for one million dollars.

Most memorable moment from your first Race: The cheese hill! The task to carry cheese down the hill in Switzerland that was covered in animal poop was one of the most challenging tasks. It was funny watching it on TV and seeing how funny we all looked. The hill was far steeper than it looked on TV.

Favorite place you visited on your first season: Switzerland! It was the most beautiful place I have ever seen.

Why do you want to run the Race again? Kris and I want a second chance. We were doing so well until the woodpile in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. We fell behind and then were u-turned, which we were unable to recover from.

How have you changed since the last time you competed? Our relationship has grown stronger since the last Race. We proved not only to ourselves, but to the world that we balance each other out and make for a great team.

People would be surprised to learn: As soon as I graduated from college, I moved in with Kris in Pismo Beach and I missed my graduation ceremony.

Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on the Race together: It might sound funny since Kris and I both have a B.A. in Communications, but we tend to struggle with communicating with one another in tense situations.

Name (Age): Kris Klicka (27)Hometown: San Diego, Calif. but currently residing in Pismo Beach, Calif.Connection to your Teammate: FianceCurrent Occupation: Insurance AgentPrevious Season/Result: Season 14/8th place

Biggest mistake you made in your previous season: Amanda and I are social people and last time around we put too much trust in teams we thought were friends. This is a Race for one million dollars and this time around, we are not going to hold back for anything.

Most memorable moment from your first Race: It is hard to pick just one, but if I have to, I would say when I got to drive on the Autobahn in Germany. That was definitely on my bucket list.

Favorite place you visited on your first season: Probably Switzerland. All the old architecture and cobble stone streets seemed like something out of a book.

Why do you want to run the Race again? Since we got u-turned in Siberia and eliminated as a result of not being able to recover from it, I constantly think about what would have happened and how far we would have gone if we weren't u-turned. I know we can win this!

How have you changed since the last time you competed? I am now engaged!

People would be surprised to learn: I had a hard time finding a job in San Diego after getting back from our first time on the Race. I ended up taking a job offer in central California and leaving behind all my friends and family. It was a hard move to make to say the least.

Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on the Race together: We are both strong-minded, natural leaders and both like to be in control. This time around I need to not second guess things she says as much and hand over the reigns.

What do you hope to accomplish by running the Race again (other than winning one million dollars): I want to experience new cultures and places with the one person that means more to me than anything to me.

Pet peeve about your teammate: Amanda doesn't like to be wrong and sometimes it is very hard to get through to her.

What would you do if you won the million dollars? I would put some of it towards a house, some for our wedding and invest whatever is left over.

Any strategic changes you will make heading into this Race: I will not trust a soul, but try to be very discrete about it. This time around, I want to fly under the radar to not put targets on our backs, but at the same time, do whatever it takes to get ahead. We are not going to hold back for anything or anyone.

In their original season I felt they gave off a Kris and Jon vibe (from TAR 6). The fact that they have gone from "Dating" in their original season two years ago to "Engaged" also sends a really good vibe.

Pismo Beach pair back on ‘Amazing Race’Couple that lost in 2009 gets second shot at $1 million on hit CBS show’s newest season, ‘Unfinished Business’By Sarah Linn | slinn@thetribunenews.comAfter their first bid to win $1 million on “The Amazing Race” ended in a snowy Siberian village, Amanda Blackledge and Kris Klicka were left with a few questions.

“We were doing really well at the time. We always wondered, ‘What if we hadn’t been (stopped)?’ ” Blackledge recalled.

The Pismo Beach couple will get a chance at redemption when “The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business” premieres Sunday. In the show, which was filmed last fall, they must travel 40,000 miles through five continents, competing against teams including Harlem Globetrotters, cowboys and former NFL cheerleaders for their shot at the prize.

“We’ll do anything to win a million dollars,” Blackledge said.

Klicka, a 27-year-old insurance agent, and his 25-year-old fiancee, an admissions representative with Laurus College, first appeared on CBS’ popular reality competition in 2009 during its 14th season and moved to Pismo Beach afterward.

“It’s a really, really cool show,” Blackledge said of “The Amazing Race,” which premiered in 2001. “The more we heard about it, we went, ‘Oh my God, this is awesome.’ ”

Winner of eight Primetime Emmy Awards, “The Amazing Race” features 11 two-person teams in a breakneck race across the globe. Players must decipher clues, tackle challenges and cover ground in an assortment of vehicles, including bicycles, boats and hot air balloons, all in the hopes of arriving first at the “pit stop” at the end of each leg.

The last team to reach each “pit stop” is usually eliminated.

Blackledge and Klicka, who were dating at the time, made it to episode four of Season 14 before being eliminated. While in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, they fell victim to a “U-turn,” used by one team to force another team to backtrack and complete a previously skipped task.

“The first time, we tended to trust people 24/7. You end up becoming friends with (the other players), and you believe them,” Klicka said. “This time, we went in saying, ‘We’re not going to trust a soul. This is for a million bucks.’ ”

They’ve also learned a few survival tips, such as packing food instead of extra clothes, shaving cream and body wash. Each team receives a small allowance at the beginning of each leg that has to cover food, transportation and other needs.

“Last time, we were starving all the time,” Blackledge said.

This season, they filled the bottom quarters of their backpacks with energy bars, turkey jerky and other snacks, as well as a bottle of hot sauce.

“I can eat anything with hot sauce,” Klicka quipped.

Although it was difficult to predict what challenges they’d encounter in “The Amazing Race,” Blackledge and Klicka said they were confident about their chances.

“(We) are both really good at communicating with people and making friends with people,” Klicka said. Still, he acknowledged, “We’re both stubborn. We tend to butt heads.”

Klicka said it can be difficult to say which team is the biggest competition. “It doesn’t matter if you’re physically the strongest team or mentally the strongest team, you can get caught up on the smallest things. … It’s just a giant crap shoot.”

The Pismo Beach couple will compete against four other teams from Season 14, including Hollywood screenwriter Mike White and his father, Mel, and former NFL cheerleaders Jaime Edmonson and Cara Rosenthal. Other opponents also returning from past seasons include Harlem Globetrotter teammates Herb “Flight Time” Lang and Nate “Big Easy” Lofton, cowboys Jet and Cord McCoy, and Goth models Kent Kaliber and Vyxsin Fiala.

Although Klicka and Blackledge befriended many of their competitors, “we all have an understanding from the beginning,” Blackledge said. “ ‘You’re my buddy, but we’re here for a race.’ ”

If they win, the couple plans to purchase a house and put money toward an upcoming wedding. “We’re at the point where we want to build our lives and look toward the future,” Klicka said.

Amanda and Kris — Season 14, 8th placeLast we saw them: They fell victim to Margie and Luke's blind U-Turn, which stung even more because Amanda claims Margie told them she and Luke wouldn't U-Turn anyone.Why they deserve a second chance: The couple, now engaged, gets to face off with their nemeses again. "Kris admitted that he's extremely competitive," Keoghan says. "Young couples are interesting to watch because they're usually not that worldly. It's like watching kids trying to be grown-ups. You're going to see that right out of the gate." Speaking of right out of the gate, Keoghan promises twists on game elements to keep everyone on their toes — the first of which comes at the Pit Start. "They're back for a second time and we don't want them to ever feel like they know what's going to happen."

This week on The Amazing Race, the dreaded U-Turn reared its ugly head and prevailed over Amanda and Kris... for the second time in two seasons! The first time around, in season 14, they had Margie and Luke to blame but this time, they did it to themselves. After coming in last during the first challenge, Phil delivered the bad news that they were automatically U-Turned, ultimately forcing them out of the game. Today, we caught up with the engaged couple to talk about their experiences running the race a second time.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was your reaction when you found out that you would be returning, basically as all stars, to The Amazing Race?A. Amanda: We were stoked! We were excited that we got a second chance. We knew there was an all-star season before and we were crossing our fingers that there would be another one.

A. Kris: We were just excited that were asked to come back.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Since we first saw you in season 14, you've gotten engaged. How did The Amazing Race play a part in your evolution as a couple?A. Kris: It definitely made us stronger. We went through situations that most couples don't get to go through with each other. We learned to really work together as a pair.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: When you found out, at the starting line, that a U-Turn would be given to the last team to finish the challenge, were you worried that it would be you?A. Amanda: We were definitely worried! Nobody wants to hear that there's that kind of twist thrown in. It was definitely stressful because we didn't want to be U-Turned a second time.

A. Kris: We were like, "Oh god, we cannot come in last right now!"

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You started off the first leg in Australia very strong. Did things start to go wrong for you with the "To sail to stop" clue?A. Amanda: Yeah, definitely! When we first got the clue, we looked on many different people's iPhones and smart phones that were walking around. It wasn't coming up when you Googled it. We were thinking, "If it's not a proper noun and it's not coming up on Google, it has to be a riddle." That's what threw us off. No locals knew what it meant. We found out later that when you Google it, you have to go a couple of pages down before it would show up. It wasn't so easy.

A. Kris: We were driving around in our taxi for a long time aimlessly.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How close were you to Ron and Christina at the pit stop?A. Kris: We heard that we were about 3-5 minutes behind. We were right on their tails... literally.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Speaking of tails, what was it like to run around in those kangaroo costumes? I think that may be the weirdest challenge I've ever seen on the show!A. Amanda: It was pretty interesting!A. Kris: More embarrassing than weird.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How did the two of you deal with a second U-Turn in 2 seasons eliminating you from the race?A. Amanda: Well, I guess we were just meant to have unfinished business. What are the odds that we get U-Turned twice?A. Kris: This time around, the more difficult part was that we did it to ourselves. We can't change anything but we'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Given the group of returning teams this season, how confident are you that the two of you would've made it to the finish line if it had not been for that U-Turn?A. Kris: This game... there's so many twists and turns. You never know if you're going to come out and win it. We're competitive. I feel like we would've had a good shot at it.A. Amanda: I definitely agree, especially seeing how hard of a time Mel was having physically. A huge portion of the race is physical. Seeing other teams struggling as well... Ron and Christina too... it makes you feel like we would've kept going.A. Kris: Physically, we could've taken anybody.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What's next for the two of you?A. Amanda: Next, it's time to plan for a wedding! We put that on the back burner. We got the call for the race just a couple of weeks after we were engaged. Initially, we tried to plan both until we realized that it was going to drive us crazy. I think we're going to shoot for 2012.

"The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business" saw its first elimination Sunday night (Feb. 27) when Kris and Amanda could not overcome the U-Turn putting them near the back of the pack and then getting a little lost on the Roadblock.

Are you glad you did "Amazing Race" again, even though you were out early?

Kris: "Absolutely. We'd do it again in a heartbeat. It's like winning the lottery. What are the odds of us being on it once, let alone twice. Experience of a lifetime."

Amanda: "We'd do it a third time even if we knew we'd be the first team out again."

Even though you out early, was it just as fun as you remembered it?

Amanda: "It was really fun. We got to go to Australia, for one, which we've never been. I got to swim with sharks and scuba dive, which I would never have voluntarily done. [laughs] It was all really fun. We didn't get to go nearly as long as last time, so that was a huge bummer. The automatic U-turn was pretty stressful, it added a lot of pressure on us.

Kris: "Yeah, we knew we had to fight the whole time."

Speaking of the automatic U-turn, how did you feel about that? We thought it was a little unfair throwing that in right off the bat and not letting the teams choose whether or not to U-turn.

Kris: "It was a bummer, especially since coming into it, you know, we got U-turned the last time aorund. To start out with that was just, 'Oh my gosh!' That was what was detrimental to our success the first time around, so to have that again ... it sucked. [laughs]

When you got to the Detour, were you surprised nobody else chose the painting? That looked so much faster than the mosaic. Was it as much faster as it looked?

Amanda: "It was kinda funny because the painting was definitely faster than the mosaic. We weren't timing it or anything, but it was 100% for sure faster than the mosaic, which is ironic since everyone chose the other one. When we first read the clue we weren't trying to think of which one was faster. Our goal was to see which one the other teams were doing because if we had to do both, we wanted to do the one the teams were doing so we could see where we were at and if we had trouble we could look around and see what other teams were doing."

Once you got eliminated, which teams were you hoping to see crossing the finish line?

Kris: "Gary and Mallory we got really close with and Mel and Mike we talked to a lot as well. We were just rooting them on and hoping they would do well."

After going out of Season 14 of The Amazing Race thanks to a U-Turn (by Margie and Luke), Amanda Blackledge and Kris Klicka, 27, met the same fate on Unfinished Business, becoming the first team to get eliminated after incurring an automatic U-Turn and falling behind on the second half of a double leg in Australia. "I wouldn't say it's harder to swallow because it's our own fault," Amanda, 25, tells TVGuide.com. "It's not like it's easier blaming other people. Yeah, Margie and Luke U-Turned us last time, but I don't think it's anyone's fault when you're eliminated — last time or this time." Find out how far behind the couple was, why it took them so long to get to Town Hall, and if they'd run the Race again.

How far behind Ron and Christina were you?Amanda: We heard from a couple teams after the fact that it was about five minutes.

Where do you think you went wrong? Was it trying to get back to Sydney or were you screwed from the automatic U-Turn?Kris: It was kind of one giant ball of craziness. We came in second place [in the first half of the leg] and go the "To Sail to Stop" clue. We tried to find it on the Internet and it didn't pop up, so we got lost for a while.Amanda: I definitely think if we caught that first flight, we wouldn't have been eliminated because we were only five minutes behind Ron and Christina. I think not catching that first flight hurt us along with not getting the Express Pass.

What happened when you tried to get back to Sydney?Amanda: Our first instinct was to ask people and to look it up online, which we did. But we were looking it up on people's iPhones, and when you Googled it, after a few pages it wasn't coming up, so we thought, if you couldn't look it up, then it's not a proper noun, so it's a riddle. But as it turns out, it was actually on the sixth page or something when you Googled it on a phone. You had to keep scrolling.Kris: All the teams took awhile to get there. Everyone struggled with it. It was just a matter of getting to that second Google page first on a computer. "Oh my God, it's an anchor by Town Hall!" We weren't at an actual computer; we were talking to people with iPhones.

How much time did you lose doing that?Amanda: It took us about three hours to get there probably. We went to a variety of places. One person told us they thought it was the opera house because a lot of people in Sydney refer to it as the sails because the opera house is in the shape of sails. We went all over Sydney. ... We were definitely bummed finding out we were on the second flight. We knew that since there wasn't a Detour yet that it was coming up.Kris: But [the second Detour] only took a few minutes. Our thought process was we saw all the other teams doing the mosaic so we figured we'll do that one because we can look at what they're doing and then go to the other task.

So you don't blame the U-Turn for your elimination?Amanda: No, I mean, yeah, we had to do that extra task, but we wouldn't have been eliminated if we didn't have to do that.Kris: It was our own fault for screwing up on the Qantas challenge. It was our own actions that caused us to be eliminated.

Did you run into any navigation trouble when you were in the kangaroo suits?Kris: No. It was pretty easy. This was a tiny, tiny town, so they knew what was going on and you asked and they were like, "Oh yeah, they went this way. This is where we told them to go."Amanda: We knew we were last. When we got to the locker room to change into our kangaroo suits, there were no more costumes left. But we definitely still had hope because the clue said you had to have all the pieces of your costume when you checked in. As we were running, we knew how easy it was for things to fall off. We were hoping that maybe a team lost a piece of their costume. We didn't know that Margie did lose a piece of her costume until we watched it last night. Too bad somebody handed it to her!

Would you come back for a third Race?Kris: If the opportunity presented itself, we would for sure. This is one of those things we could never, ever pass up. No more U-Turns!

Congratulations on your engagement. Do you have any wedding plans?Kris: Thank you!Amanda: We got the call for the Race a couple weeks after Kris proposed, so we put that on hold because it was a little stressful with both. With the Race and everything, we decided 2012 is much better. What's the rush anyway? That's what we're shooting for.

Originally coming in eighth place during season fourteen, engaged couple Amanda Blackledge and Kris Klicka gladly returned this year for The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business. Though they worked hard, bad luck and bad decisions put the pair at a distinct disadvantage as they were forced to face a U-Turn in which they had to complete both tasks listed. Unable to recover from their lost time, Kris and Amanda were the last team to arrive at the pit stop and became the first to be eliminated. We caught up with the couple to discuss their experience.

Do you think that having to deal with both sides of the detour during your U-Turn was what threw you off your game?

Kris: "Well, it was a combo of a lot of things but definitely in the end if we didn't have to do that, I don't think we would have gone home. But it's what happened - we're the ones who got the QANTAS thing last from the beginning so we did it to ourselves."Amanda: "We feel like we can't blame anyone else but ourselves but at the same time if we hadn't been U-Turned I think it's safe to say that we wouldn't have gone out. We heard from the other teams that we were only five minutes behind Ron and Christina and our task definitely took more than five minutes so we still would have been in it."

Was there a particular moment in which you realised that the race was most likely over for you?

Kris: "Well, in the back of our heads we thought we were in last place but we just wanted to fight to the end because you never know. Someone else could have taken a wrong path or screwed up in some way. We knew we were in last place but we were hoping that we weren't."Amanda: "Also, it specifically said on the clue that we had to check in at the pit stop with all of our kangaroo suit pieces on so like Kris said, we knew we were last but we just hoped that maybe someone got lost or checked in without their entire costume and had to turn around. That was funny seeing that Margie did actually [lose part of her costume] but if only she hadn't picked that up! Luke kept telling Margie to forget it and keep going - so if only she would have listened [we would still be in]!"

What was it like doing the show as a couple? Did it improve your relationship or cause strain between you?

Kris: "It's definitely difficult being a couple going into these situations. It's difficult in day-to-day life! The first time around it was a shocker and a growing experience but this time we knew what was ahead of us and knew how to deal with it, I guess. At the end of the day I think it made us stronger."

What was the most difficult part of the experience for you?

Amanda: "Probably just the fact that we didn't go as far as we wanted. Ever since season fourteen we were always asking 'what if'? So the fact that we were first out and U-Turned again, it sort of leaves us in the exact same place as last time. Maybe we were just meant to have 'unfinished business'!"Kris: "Yeah, and also the fact that we can't blame anyone else but ourselves. We got last to the QANTAS thing so it was all our own fault, which was tough."

What was your favorite part of the experience?

Kris: "Going to Australia was awesome! Neither of us had ever been here and it's just a really cool place and was a fun experience to do all of that with Amanda. Obviously we would have liked to have had more experiences along the way but it was fun!"Amanda: "Like Kris said, Australia was fun but we also got to go sailing together! Neither of us have ever done anything like that before, especially in Sydney. Also, I got to go diving with sharks and I would never have signed up to do something like that if I wasn't in that situation."

Is there another team you connected with that you'd like to see win?

Kris: "We definitely had a strong bond with Gary and Mallory. Gary is like my dad - he fishes and hunts so I related to him in that area. We had a lot of conversations in the airport when the cameras stopped rolling. And then Mallory and Amanda are both tiny little blonde girls that are loud and vivacious so they really hit it off as well. We really connected with them."

Would you go back again?

Amanda: "I think that's the easiest question of all: absolutely yes! We would do it again in a heartbeat!"

If you just type in 'To Sail, To Stop', of course almost none of the results will be helpful. But if you tweak it out a little bit and narrow down the search results, type in 'To Sail, To Stop Sydney'. And voila! The thing you are looking for is 2nd on the list.

It's just a matter of using the Internet wisely. Lesson for future racers: Get a crash course of using the internet extensively. Like finding flights online. I learned them by playing online TAR Fantasy Games ().

If you just type in 'To Sail, To Stop', of course almost none of the results will be helpful. But if you tweak it out a little bit and narrow down the search results, type in 'To Sail, To Stop Sydney'. And voila! The thing you are looking for is 2nd on the list.

It's just a matter of using the Internet wisely. Lesson for future racers: Get a crash course of using the internet extensively. Like finding flights online. I learned them by playing online TAR Fantasy Games ().

I suggest everyone who wants to signup for TAR play one of those Redwings games. He's darn good at it and darn crazy with his race tasks/routes (in a good way!).

I like how they admitted to the fact that it's their own fault they got eliminated. I was actually kinda heartbroken to want to see them being eliminated by the U-TURN again and actually started rooting for them.. even though my two favourite teams Ron/Chris and Gary/Mallory are in danger.

Wished it was some other team eliminated.

Logged

"The Amazing Race shows the best and worst out of you. But if only negative things are shown, then it's probably you. - Jobby"

There can be an upside to being eliminated from “The Amazing Race.” For engaged couple Amanda Blackledge and Kris Klicka, that means having more time to tend to the unfinished business of their upcoming nuptials. The duo, who were only engaged weeks before their return to this year’s all-star season, couldn’t focus on marriage when they had a “Race” to prepare for. But after getting the boot in Australia Sunday night, they’re throwing all their energy into planning for the big day. And although having an extra million bucks would’ve helped with wedding costs, they have no regrets about being sent packing. On Monday, Amanda and Kris called from their home Pismo Beach, Calif. to discuss how they’ve grown as a couple, how it felt to be a ‘roo for a day, and when they intend to wed.

On where they watched their elimination:Amanda: We were actually supposed to watch it with some family, but there was a crazy storm here and it was snowing, so we couldn’t get away.

Kris: Which I think is for the better. We knew we were going out on this one, so we didn’t really want to be around a bunch of people when it all went down. We were definitely on the phone with our parents talking about everything, though.

Amanda: It was hard to watch the whole thing knowing how it ends. It was interesting watching it and see the other teams. For example, we didn’t know Ron and Christina took quite as long as they did at the Mosaic. The other hard thing to watch was when Margie dropped part of her costume. The clue actually said that you had to check into the Pit Stop with all the pieces of the costume. So, we knew we were in last place going into the Pit Stop, but our hope was maybe somebody got lost or dropped some part of their costume. Watching Mel hand it to her was hard to watch, especially since Luke just told her to keep going. If Mel hadn’t done that, we probably wouldn’t be sitting here having this interview right now.

On the embarrassment of wearing kangaroo costumes:Kris: We looked liked a couple of backwoods Okies with all this red clay in our teeth and this ridiculous kangaroo outfit on.

Amanda: When we first saw it [the costume], it was kind of intimidating. Having never tried them before, they were kind of funny because you couldn’t actually stand still. You always had to keep moving or you would just fall over.

On the format changes this season, including the non-Pit Stop in the premiere:Kris: We’d been running non-stop. One thing they didn’t show a lot of, is that we were traveling just to get to Australia alone. It was like a nineteen-hour flight. And you’re not sleeping since you have adrenaline pumping through you and you don’t know what lies ahead. It’d been a couple of days since we’d had any shuteye.

Amanda: And between the Ocean World aquarium and where we had to do the sailing, and Shelly Beach, it had to have been miles and miles that we ran. Then when we were heading to the Pit Stop we actually saw Gary and Mallory running, and we said, “Oh, is Phil not over there?” And they said, “No, he is, it’s a continuation leg.” So we knew when we stepped on the mat that we had to keep going. We were exhausted. I almost actually got sick from running around so much.

On the lessons learned the first time around:Amanda: The number one thing we changed, as far as our strategy, was that we weren’t going to trust anybody. We were lied to about the stupidest things last time. So many people were giving me bs all the time. And if we found somebody who gave us information and we had time to double check it, then we were going to double check it. We did more of our own research, like at the airport and stuff.

On why so many teams are helping each other this season:Kris: Obviously there were a lot of people from our season. We’ve all gone to parties and watched episodes together, so we do have a relationship already. I guess that’s part of the game, too. You get to certain points and you know you’re struggling a little bit, if you know someone next to you who you know is going to help you out, then by all means why not ask them?

Amanda: I also think too that it’s on a case by case basis. For example, when I helped Keisha after the scuba diving, I started seeing other teams come out and complete the task with their compass. I looked at Keisha and thought, If her and I can get it and get out of here before the other teams start coming and asking us for the answers, then better for us. I think people help each other depending on the situation.

Kris: One thing that does kind of annoy me is The Redheads, they don’t seem to do anything on their own. They’re always asking Margie and Luke for help. That kind of pissed me off a little bit, but whatever.

On why they decided to return:Kris: We didn’t have to think about it at all. They asked us and we were just like, “Abso-freaking-lutely.” Just the last time when we got U-Turned and we always had it in the back of our heads, What would have happened if we didn’t get U-Turned? Would we have won the damn thing or would we have gotten eliminated in the next couple of legs? So when they called us, we were ecstatic about it.

Amanda: No matter how grueling it is and out of your comfort zone you are, it’s still incredible. The places you get to go and the things you get to experience, all on somebody else’s dime. We would definitely do it over and over and over again.

Kris: If we get a call tomorrow asking us to come back we’d say yes again, too.

On how they grew as a couple from this experience:Kris: For her and I, in both experiences, we just learned how to work together as a team and figure out how to stay cool and collected and respect one another, and go from there. Really it made us stronger in our relationship. Most couples don’t get to go through this together. I think if they did they’d figure out a lot more about their partner.

Amanda: Before the first season, we’d never really worked together as a team in anything. We were both competitive before that but not together. It definitely made us stronger and we realized how well we worked together.

On adjusting to normal life after the “Race”:Kris: What’s next, is the kind of thing. Am I going to Siberia tomorrow or going to my office? It’s difficult to adjust to at first.

On what lies ahead:Amanda: Planning our wedding! We got engaged just a couple of weeks before we got the call about “The Race,” and initially we tried to plan for both “The Race,” and our wedding, and we realized that was completely impossible while working full time and trying to prepare for ‘The Race.’ So we put it off ’til 2012.

Logged

I really wish we could stay longer in the countries we visit, but I've been lucky to have visited most of them before, because I've done a tremendous amount of travel. - Phil Keoghan

Kris and Amanda were eliminated after a grueling double-leg in Australia on The Amazing Race. We'll miss them, and their dynamic as one of the few couples in this season. Find out what they have to say about racing again, getting married, and those kangaroo suits!

How did the experience of racing a second time, with all returning teams, compare to your first time on The Amazing Race?

Kris: It was incredible yet a completely different experience this time around. This was everyone's second shot so we were all there to put up a fight to win. Also, many of the teams were our past castmates so it was really cool to experience this all over again with some people you consider friends.Amanda: Well all the teams of Unfinished Business are experienced and very competitive racers. Van Munster even said in previous interviews that one of the number one things he was looking for when casting this season was the most competitive teams. No teams were weak links thisseason!

Have you set a date for the wedding yet? (Note: we had information that they were "recently engaged" in Season 14, when they were in fact, just dating.)

Kris: I proposed to her this July and we got the call asking us to be on this season literally two weeks later. At first, we were starting to make wedding plans but we decided that with having to prepare for the race and working full time we should push it off until 2012.

Amanda: Initially we attempted to plan our wedding and prepare for the race, while both working full time. Let's just say we realized quickly that it would be impossible! Prioritizing, we chose to put the wedding plans on the back burner so that we could focus on the race. We decided toget married sometime in 2012; this way we can take our time planning and enjoy the ride!

What do you think slowed you down the most? Anything you would do differently?

Kris: The U-turn definitely put a stutter in our stride to say the least. If I were to do anything differently I would say that I wish I didn't get so caught up in the heat of the moment at the starting line and thought things out more clearly. Then we wouldn't have been doomed by the U-turn again! We had an experience of a lifetime though and I would do it again in a second!

Amanda: I think that not being able to find "To Sail To Stop" slowed us down the most! When we first got that clue, we ran into Gary and Mallory at a cafe looking it up on peoples' iphones and smart-phones. "To Sail To Stop" wasn't coming up no matter how we searched it online. So that was when we decided if it wasn't a person, place, or object, it had to be a riddle. A local recommended that maybe it was the Opera House because many locals refer to the architecture of the building as looking like sails; That is what began the wild hunt to solve a riddle only to find out we didn't look enough online. Other teams, that were looking it up on computers and could see more of the search results, found that it was a sculpture next to City Hall. Had we only made it on that first flight to the Outback we wouldn't have been eliminated. We heard we were only 5 minutes at the most behind Ron and Christina and the 1st flight would have definitely put us ahead of at least one other team.

Or, you could also look at it as if we only knew what QANTAS was and didn't have to do the U-Turn than we wouldn't have been eliminated either, since that extra task definitely took longer than 5 minutes!

I wouldn't say that I have regrets though. Kris and I did our best, and considering we were only minutes behind and had the extra task AND were on the second flight, I'd say we did great under the circumstances!

Any other teams you're rooting for? Anyone you're rooting against?

Kris: There is no one I am rooting against but if I were to pick a team that I would like to win I would have to say Gary and Mallory. They are just so down to earth and fun to be around.

Amanda: Kris and I really got to know Gary and Mallory well since we were on the same flight to Sydney with just them and Kisha and Jen. We were also with them on the Ferry to Ocean World and then met up with them again while searching for "To Sail To Stop". We were also rooting for them on Season 17! They're really sweet and honest people with big hearts! We were rooting for them as well as Mike and Mel, our friends from Season 14.

About the kangaroo suits, how would you describe that part of the challenge. It was a lot of fun to watch!

Kris: Let's just say I think your spot on the couch was probably more fun than being in that thing! You get so hot! Also, having red clay in your teeth and hopping around a town in a kangaroo suit was just a little embarrassing. All I can say is wow! Haha.

Amanda: Oh gosh the suits! That's Amazing Race for you though- they always have at least one challenge every season where they just make the contestants look ridiculous! It was also strenuous though- it was pretty hot out that day and we had to go a ways to get to the nextclue- everything always looks so much easier and FASTER on TV!

I was actually hoping that there would have to be more tasks after the detour though. There wasn't enough activity after the detour for Kris and I to catch up! We just got in our suits, ran a few blocks to the clue box and then went straight to the pit stop.

It was funny to watch! I didn't know until watching it that Margie dropped part of her costume. The clue actually specifically read that you had to check in with all the pieces of your costume. I knew we were in last place but I was hoping that someone dropped or lost part oftheir costume. Watching Mel hand Margie her costume just made me do more of the "what -if" thinking. I think Kris and I just must be meant to have Unfinished Business!

Do you still feel like you have "unfinished business"?

Kris: Well yeah! Lol. Of course I will always wonder what would happen if things played out differently but what an amazing and fun ride both these experiences have been! I just feel so fortunate and lucky to have done this again.

Logged

I really wish we could stay longer in the countries we visit, but I've been lucky to have visited most of them before, because I've done a tremendous amount of travel. - Phil Keoghan

Amazing Race's Amanda and Kris: We Don't Blame the U-Turn For Our Elimination

How far behind Ron and Christina were you?Amanda: We heard from a couple teams after the fact that it was about five minutes.

Where do you think you went wrong? Was it trying to get back to Sydney or were you screwed from the automatic U-Turn?Kris: It was kind of one giant ball of craziness. We came in second place [in the first half of the leg] and go the "To Sail to Stop" clue. We tried to find it on the Internet and it didn't pop up, so we got lost for a while. Amanda: I definitely think if we caught that first flight, we wouldn't have been eliminated because we were only five minutes behind Ron and Christina. I think not catching that first flight hurt us along with not getting the Express Pass.

What happened when you tried to get back to Sydney?Amanda: Our first instinct was to ask people and to look it up online, which we did. But we were looking it up on people's iPhones, and when you Googled it, after a few pages it wasn't coming up, so we thought, if you couldn't look it up, then it's not a proper noun, so it's a riddle. But as it turns out, it was actually on the sixth page or something when you Googled it on a phone. You had to keep scrolling.Kris: All the teams took awhile to get there. Everyone struggled with it. It was just a matter of getting to that second Google page first on a computer. "Oh my God, it's an anchor by Town Hall!" We weren't at an actual computer; we were talking to people with iPhones.

How much time did you lose doing that?Amanda: It took us about three hours to get there probably. We went to a variety of places. One person told us they thought it was the opera house because a lot of people in Sydney refer to it as the sails because the opera house is in the shape of sails. We went all over Sydney. ... We were definitely bummed finding out we were on the second flight. We knew that since there wasn't a Detour yet that it was coming up.Kris: But [the second Detour] only took a few minutes. Our thought process was we saw all the other teams doing the mosaic so we figured we'll do that one because we can look at what they're doing and then go to the other task.

Check out photos from The Amazing Race

So you don't blame the U-Turn for your elimination?Amanda: No, I mean, yeah, we had to do that extra task, but we wouldn't have been eliminated if we didn't have to do that.Kris: It was our own fault for screwing up on the Qantas challenge. It was our own actions that caused us to be eliminated.

Did you run into any navigation trouble when you were in the kangaroo suits?Kris: No. It was pretty easy. This was a tiny, tiny town, so they knew what was going on and you asked and they were like, "Oh yeah, they went this way. This is where we told them to go."Amanda: We knew we were last. When we got to the locker room to change into our kangaroo suits, there were no more costumes left. But we definitely still had hope because the clue said you had to have all the pieces of your costume when you checked in. As we were running, we knew how easy it was for things to fall off. We were hoping that maybe a team lost a piece of their costume. We didn't know that Margie did lose a piece of her costume until we watched it last night. Too bad somebody handed it to her!

Would you come back for a third Race?Kris: If the opportunity presented itself, we would for sure. This is one of those things we could never, ever pass up. No more U-Turns!

Congratulations on your engagement. Do you have any wedding plans?Kris: Thank you!Amanda: We got the call for the Race a couple weeks after Kris proposed, so we put that on hold because it was a little stressful with both. With the Race and everything, we decided 2012 is much better. What's the rush anyway? That's what we're shooting for.

The one thing I love most about Amanda and Kris (like TAR 6's Kris and Jon who they resemble in attitude) is in fact their attitude abut the Race and how they approached every thing about it in both of their seasons.

They handled the challenge posed by the automatic U-Turn and the problem with locating the Town Hall statute with class. And I certainly wouldn't mind in the slightest if these two did get a third chance.